OCC back on the shores of Loch Ryan for a “joyous” weekend at Stranraer Oyster Festival
OCC returned to the shores of Loch Ryan for the Stranraer Oyster Festival – the annual celebration of Southwest Scotland’s local produce and unique coastal heritage.
OCC brought together some of the country’s best loved chefs to perform in the Kitchen Marquee and new Speakers’ Corner.
Joining Don Sloan at the three-day festival were Matt Tebbutt, host of BBC1’s hugely popular Saturday Kitchen Live and Rosemary Shrager, beloved TV chef, who in recent years has also become a successful novelist. Festival favourites Julie Lin, whose first cookbook Sama Sama was published earlier this year to great acclaim, and Tony Singh, Edinburgh-born chef and one of Scotland’s best loved television personalities, were also part of the OCC line-up.
Hailed as the most successful yet, Matt Tebbutt described the festival as “a wonderful, feel-good festival” after racing directly from the BBC Saturday Kitchen studios to join thousands of visitors celebrating Scotland’s last wild, native oyster fishery.
Speaking about his visit to Stranraer Oyster Festival which took place from 12-14 September, Matt said: “What a wonderful, feel-good festival. I loved every minute. It was just joyous: great fun, lovely people and completely celebratory, an enormous party celebrating these amazing oysters and fantastic local food.”
At her final demonstration of the festival weekend, Rosemary Shrager captured the essence of what makes Stranraer Oyster Festival unique: “It has been, quite frankly, incredible, the atmosphere and the feeling of the community. It actually has a very French feel about it; everybody sits together as a community at these fantastic long tables. I’ve never seen that before in this country and I think that says a lot about this festival, because it’s all about friendship and people coming together. I think it’s just a phenomenal place, the whole town parties, it’s just wonderful.“
The festival’s success reflects its evolution from a community regeneration project launched in 2017 to what is now recognised as one of Scotland’s premier food festivals. Since its inception, the event has generated more than £12 million in economic impact for the local area, supported hundreds of jobs and catalysed broader community-led regeneration initiatives across Stranraer. The festival continues to play a crucial role in showcasing Loch Ryan’s ecological treasure – the native oyster beds that are among the most important in Europe.
On OCC’s contribution, Don Sloan commented: “First and foremost, our aim is to stage amazing events featuring some of the UK’s most popular chefs, ensuring visitors to the festival have a really enjoyable and memorable time. More than that, we act as ambassadors for the festival in the UK food scene, secure positive press coverage and share news of its transformative economic and social impact, all to further enhance its reputation and appeal”.
